Jeffrey Hollister, Montrose

On Sept. 15, charges were filed by state police against Brandon Scott, 40, New Milford, for criminal conspiracy and theft by unlawful taking. The charges stem from an investigation into incidents reported by Elizabeth Tunilo, of Bridgewater Township, who alleged that she is the victim of repeated thefts over the course of the past few months, and suspects her grandson of being the perpetrator of the crimes. According to court documents, Tunilo was missing assorted items from her home, including jewelry, coins and guns, as well as a wallet and two checks. Her complaint alleges that she reported the theft of the checks to the bank, and reports further indicate that she wishes her grandson, David Shahriari (aka David Anderson), to be arrested. Court papers further detail that in the course of investigating an unrelated matter, police questioned one Stephen Smithbauer, who in turn alleged that Scott had claimed coins he was transporting with Smithbauer’s assistance to a Binghamton pawn shop had come from David Anderson’s grandmother. Court documents further allege that upon questioning, Scott claimed the coins were left for him to retrieve in a barn, and that they had netted the three men $300 a piece at the pawn shop. Scott was slated to appear at a preliminary hearing on Sept. 26.

Dustin Lee Johnson, 26, Kingsley, will appear on Oct. 12 to answer charges of theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and criminal mischief, as filed in district court by the state police on Sept. 16. According to court documents, the charges stem from an incident in which bags of aluminum cans had been taken from the American Legion Post on Elk Lake Rd. in July and Aug. Previous police reports had indicated that James Flynn, manager of the post, had reported the first theft and stated that video surveillance tapes existed. According to court papers, no license number was visible in the footage, but Flynn alleged that the actors returned another time and he confronted them, as well as identifying the vehicle from the video and getting the plate number. State police visited the residence of the vehicle’s owner and, according to reports, were able to question the owner as well as Johnson, whom the owner alleged also drives the vehicle. Reports indicate that Johnson admitted to investigators that he had taken cans once because he was told he could, but when confronted with the existence of video he admitted to two thefts; however, his timeline did not match the documentation of the incidents. He will appear in court on Oct. 12, along with Shane Repsher, Montrose, who, according to documents, Johnson claimed accompanied him and is named as a co-defendant.